Safety begins with prevention and having a plan in place. State law requires schools to conduct nine drills a year, including practice for shelter-in-place, lockdown and evacuation. Our Department of Campus Safety coordinates and trains on a regular basis with local law enforcement, fire department, and other emergency response agencies. Every Spokane Public Schools site has security cameras and a secure single point of entry. Many schools also have volunteer safety programs, such as Watch D.O.G.S. Ask your school how you can get involved in keeping our students safe.

Parents, if there is an emergency at your child’s school, please help us by doing the following:

• First, check your email for a communication from from the district or your child's school. In certain situations, we may also post alerts to spokaneschools.org, the SPS Facebook page or on X. We will provide credible, accurate and useful information to the public as soon as possible. Expect to see our messages and posts updated as necessary. We will also provide updates to local media, but be aware that emergency situations can change rapidly. Information received from sources other than the school administrator or SPS communications office may be inaccurate. 
  
  We will also use phone and text notifications to contact parents and guardians with updates and information in as timely a manner as possible. Please make sure your emergency contact information is always up to date at your child's school.
  

• Do not call or go to the school. In an emergency, onsite staff are focused solely on getting everyone to a safe location. Showing up to the site can create unnecessary traffic, preventing emergency vehicles from responding quickly, and may also put you in danger.
  
  If you get a call or text from your student, help him or her remain calm. Remind your student that school staff know what to do in an emergency situation, and will work to keep everyone safe.
  

• Familiarize yourself with the terms used during emergency situations:  

  • Secure and Teach: Used to secure the building from a potential threat that is distanced from the building, such as when an unauthorized person is loitering on school grounds or when there is criminal activity in the neighborhood. Exterior doors are locked, but normal activities continue inside the building.

  • Lockdown: Used when there is a perceived danger inside the building or on campus. Doors are locked and windows are closed and locked. People are directed to move away from windows and doors. Hallways are cleared of students and school staff.

  • Evacuation: When students and staff are moved out of the building to a pre-designated safe location.

  • Shelter-in-place: Used during severe weather or other environmental threats (e.g., air contamination due to a local fire) to keep people safe while remaining indoors.